What Is The Theme Of The Overachievers By Alexandra Robbins

Margaret talbot ,throughout her piece, shows how students have been focused on getting the title of “Valedictorian” when really it is just causing several issues Talbot uses different rhetorical devices to have a personal connection with her readers and make her argument more credible. The author explains the difficulties in getting valedictorian and the problems that it has with some students who believe they deserve the title. Talbot explains how students who received valedictorian are still academically skilled in college; however, nobody really cares whether or not you got valedictorian. Talbots message appeals to the audience’ s emotions when she shows the amount of stress and work that students put themselves through in order to qualify

Hannah Bailey is a senior attending Warsaw Community High School in Warsaw, Indiana. While in school she lives with her grandparents while her dad works off shore. Hannah has lived in Warsaw, Indiana since birth and she firmly beliefs that the town is conservative. Music, art, and writing is her passion. She highly believes in liberal art, and hope to become a filmmaker.

Throughout the book The Overachievers:The Secret Lives of Driven Kids, Alexandra Robbins develops the theme of competition between the students at Whitman High School and the students she individually observed. The Journalist Alexandra Robbins returns to Whitman, where she attended her high school years to follow a few of Whitman’s upperclassmen and journal about their experiences in high school towards achieving admissions to top elite colleges and universities. The students she follows around are Taylor, Julie, Audrey, AP Frank, Sam, Pete, Ryland, Stealth Overachiever student, and C.J., which were Juniors and Seniors at Whitman. As she observes these nine students at Whitman High School, she discovers that High School was an indirect battleground between students who competed against each other for best grades, top scores in standardized tests, best athletic achievements, and their admissions towards post

She begins by describing Aubrey’s satisfaction with only attending high school despite his intelligence, she says, “High school had been all [Aubrey] needed… If he had taken the SATs, Iris knew he would have scored high enough to get into any school he wanted. But he was done. He was good.” (Woodson 61)

Writing Style The Overachievers, by Alexandra Robbins, is Alexandra Robbins, is the empowering story of eight students, and a glimpse of their lives during the duration of one school year. Each student underwent an idiosyncratic situation, whether it is battling ADD, peer pressure, or stress. During the duration of the duration of the school year-and high and often times unrealistic expectations put on them by themselves and their parents-each student hit the lowest point in their lives, but manage to resolve their problems, and resume living their normal lives. Robbins uses a clear, bold language and tone along with intentional stereotypes, as well as powerful diction, and didactic language to help develop the story. Robbins uses a clear, bold language and tone in her unique style of writing to help develop the story of these eight young adults.

Stress is something we all go through and over time our stress beings to build up. Many believe that stress starts to impact one 's life by the time they start middle school or the beginning of their teenage years. The transition from elementary to middle school into high school can be very intense. Students become highly influenced by their surroundings which makes them susceptible to descended into unhealthy coping mechanisms. At this point in time their lives are shifting dramatically, they will be encountering many different people.

The title for valedictorian is heavily competition-based and a highly controversial topic in today’s modern society. In fact, many people argue for the continuation of the valedictorian title; however, others also contest for the cancellation of the title. Published by The New Yorker, in 2005, Margaret Talbot argues her stand on the debate of keeping the title for valedictorian in schools. Using research and evidence gained by her examination of the Sarasota High School in Florida, she effectively gives a complete overview of the subject, but she also imposes her side of the argument onto the reader. In Margaret Talbot’s article, “Best in Class”, she conveys the message that the competition for valedictorian has unfavorable consequences as

She had full ride scholarships to any of the top Ivy League Universities she wanted, had even acquired early admission into some of them. She was supposed to take classes online this semester. Kennedy’s resume was overflowing with extracurricular actives, from her boxing championships to student council to glee club; she had done it

Marta Salinas’ realistic fiction story “The scholarship Jacket”, takes place at a small school in Texas. Martha, a straight A plus student, was finally in 8th grade, her year to receive the valedictorian jacket. There are many troubles leading up to Martha receiving the jacket, such as the teachers changing the policy to make her pay $15. This changed the meaning of the jacket because it was no longer a reward. Marta Salinas created the theme that hard work pays off, she displays this theme by showing how Martha feels with point of view, and foreshadowing.

The approach of autumn was well on its way. “Autumn’s hand was lying heavy on the hillsides. Bracken was yellowing, heather passing from bloom, and the clumps of wild-wood taking the soft russet and purple of decline. Faint odors of wood smoke seemed to fit over the moor, and the sharp lines of the hill fastnesses were drawn as with a graving-tool against the sky.” As Ellie drove down the road she was much more aware of all her surroundings.

Do students have too much on their plate? Most students have a lot going on in their life. They play sports, have a job, and have school with some AP classes. This could be the cause of grades dropping, developing anxiety and being depressed. In Vicki Abeles essay, “Workaholic Students”, she uses ethos and logos in order to persuade her readers that students have too much going on, causing them to be overwhelmed and grades to drop.

By illustrating the fact that the adolescents’ perspective and adults’ perspective on the society are contrasting, Salinger establishes a sense that adolescents’ perspectives has changed negatively because they suffer from extreme stress levels as they set themselves up for their

Many children have a favorite book that they have read repetitively from their childhood. Several people can learn plenty of lessons from these books. Specifically, the teenagers might not realize that many of these books have an important lesson that can be applied to their senior year of high school as they move on from school and grow up as an adult. There are thousands of children that have read the book, Where the Wild Things Are, but most of them do not realize that this book teaches many essential lessons that can be applied to their lives. The book educates the readers on lessons of isolation, growth, and appreciation.

In “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, leader of one of the residential colleges at Yale University, the author describes the different amount of pressures that students struggle with in college. Because of his position at the university, he constantly noticed the students around him and the anxiety that was radiating off them. He believes that economic pressures cause students to feel anxious about paying back student loans after college. However, parental pressure leads students to make decisions that their parents would be happy with because of the feeling of guilt and wanting to please them.

Thus, stressors affecting students can be categorized as academic, financial, time or health related, and self- imposed (Goodman, 1993). Academic stressors include the student’s perception of the extensive knowledge base required and the perception of an inadequate time to develop it ((Carveth et al, 1996). Students report experiencing academic stress at predictable times each semester with the greatest sources of academic stress resulting from taking and studying for exams, grade competition, andthe large amount of content to master in a small amount of time (Abouserie, 1994). College students have many obstacles to overcome in order to achieve their optimal academic performance. It takes a lot more than just studying to achieve a successful college career.